Sokol Saratov and Leningradets played out a 1-1 draw in the Regions Path quarter-finals of the Cup on Tuesday. The match went to a penalty shootout after the regular ninety minutes finished level.
Artemiy Ukomskiy opened the scoring for Sokol in the twenty-second minute. Leningradets responded through Anatoliy Makaro in the thirty-third minute. The visitors had the better of possession at 54 per cent, while the hosts managed 46 per cent.
And here's the thing — the final minutes brought chaos. Both sides sent their players to the spot in a penalty shootout. Sokol's Kirill Isaev and Aleksandr Perchenok missed their attempts. Leningradets' goalkeeper Gennadiy Kiselev saved one of the kicks and also converted his own spot-kick.
To be fair, neither side dominated the overall play. Leningradets registered four shots on target against Sokol's three. The hosts earned two corners while the visitors claimed five. Both sides received two yellow cards during the contest.
By then the game had settled into a pattern of cautious attacking. Sokol made five substitutions, bringing on Ilya Klementjev, Ilya Stefanovich, Anton Sinyak, Vladislav Shpitalnyi and Artemiy Ukomskiy. Leningradets introduced Olivier Kenfack and Artem Malakhov from the bench.
The result means both teams remain in contention for progression. Sokol had drawn with Nosta in their previous outing, while Leningradets lost narrowly to KAMAZ in their last match. This shared point keeps both clubs alive in the competition.
